Vengeance of the Vulture
-Chapter Three-
Quinn's eyes racked the darkness surrounding him, searching for any enemy. He wasn't happy in the least- as a matter of fact, he was angry as Hell's fires. Azarius had hurt Rashel, his soulmate, and he hadn't been there.
He hadn't paid attention. Her scream…a scream of pure pain…is what had made him run. Only to find a hateful Steve, a dead Azarius, and a hurt Rashel. And to top it all off, the wards surrounding the grounds were down, causing three Wild Powers to be completely vulnerable.
He stood against the mansion's side, mentally beating himself up. How could he have been so stupid? Why hadn't he sensed something was wrong?
Footsteps advancing quickly towards him caused Quinn to snap out of his thoughts, immediately bracing for an attack. He uttered the slightest sigh of relief when he saw it was only Thierry, James, Morgead, and Ash.
"What happened? Rashel said the wards were down," Thierry began, the ever-calm one.
"Somehow, they are, and I believe I know who did it." Quinn turned away from the four, and retraced his steps. Following the path he'd taken to find Rashel would lead him to the suspected culprit of fending off the wards, enabling Azarius' entrance.
His feet crunched over the pine needle covered ground, showing how angry Quinn was. A vampire was normally much more cautious, creating as little sound as possible when they walked.
He heard Thierry whispering to the other three, and shifted his hearing to their conversation. "The Wild Powers are being split up as we speak. They're being transported to various safe-houses, along with everyone else in the mansion. I'll head with Quinn. You three split up and patrol the grounds. There are witches on their way to restore the wards."
Moments later, Quinn heard James, Morgead, and Ash head off in separate directions. Thierry appeared at Quinn's side, face solemn. "What are you taking me to?" he asked softly.
"See for yourself," Quinn said, and stepped behind a tall oak tree, where a motionless body lay.
Thierry walked over to the body, and knelt down. He took a long glance at the body, and closed his eyes.
Quinn looked at him, face emotionless.
"Quinn, what happened?" Thierry questioned. He sounded almost disappointed.
"I was patrolling the North side of the mansion. Heard Rashel scream, started running to where she was. I came across this witch- I assumed she'd done it. She's hurt Rashel. So I snapped her neck. I was gone before she even hit the ground." Quinn hadn't meant to sound hostile, but it was the truth. Rashel was much more important than whoever this unknown witch was.
"Damn it, Quinn!" Thierry exclaimed, standing up abruptly. "I know it's hard being here. We have three Wild Powers to protect, and another to find. Impending doom and all. But you can't simply kill someone at a moment's notice! You know this!"
Quinn stood, motionless, as Thierry calmed down.
"This," he said, "Is going to look extremely bad to the witches. Go inside the mansion while I take care of this. Rashel and Thea are in there somewhere- Thea was going to set her arm before they left." Thierry pulled a Blackberry out of his pocket and dialed a number, but Quinn did not stick around to hear who he was calling.
This had been a night from Hell. Quinn had a feeling that it was about to become much, much worse.
Rashel winced as Thea shifted her left arm's position, bending it slightly to set it in a sling. "You were lucky he made a clean break. It will ease up the oils' work," Thea said.
"Yeah," Rashel sighed. "Lucky. Sure."
Thea looked at her. "Rashel. You were lucky. Azarius is one of the most powerful made vampires out there. He could have killed you in an instant."
"He said, 'You've already ruined things once. I can't afford to let you do that again.' What do you think he meant?" Rashel wondered.
"No clue," Thea remarked, pausing. "It almost made it seem like he either wanted to take you somewhere, or kill you."
Rashel tilted her head. Where on earth would he take me? She asked herself this, thinking of every possible answer. Was it possible he could have been working for someone? A client, as Quinn had in the first bloodfeast?
Before she could finish her thoughts, an enormous, burly werewolf burst through the room's door, snarling. Foam escaped its mouth, and its black eyes gleamed with an evil light.
Thea backed in front of Rashel, groping around on a small tray for something to subdue the wolf.
It barked ferociously, leaping at Thea. Both girls scrambled to opposite ends of the room, backing against separate walls.
"It's a diversion, Thea!" Rashel shouted over the growling of the wolf. "It's going after you- something else is coming. For me. This is what Azarius' backup plan must have been. You're right- he wanted to take me somewhere!"'
Thea pressed herself against the wall, watching the wolf with wide eyes. "Where?" she shouted back.
"I think they're starting up another bloodfeast!" Rashel hollered, her mind piecing the bits together.
The wolf looked as if it would lunge at Thea any second. Rashel stared at it for half a moment before somersaulting on the ground, propelling herself with her good arm. She rolled along the ground, using her feet to sweep the wolf's legs out from under it.
Its skull made a sharp crack as it hit the ground with a heavy thud. "Thea, head for the door. It won't stay unconscious much longer," Rashel instructed. "Now!"
Abrupt and sharp claps filled Rashel's ear, along with the footsteps of an advancing form.
She turned, to see none other than Ivan walking towards her. Ivan was a vampire that had assisted in the first bloodfeast and slave trade as well.
"Amazing show, love. You're like dinner and a show, moving around to entertain and, of course, the lovely rich stuff coursing through your veins. An added bonus," he spoke slowly, voice low. A dark, twisted grin swept across his face. "I do believe, however, we have prior arrangements. And as for the witch…well, I believe knocking the both of you out will work. The only difference," he spoke, towering above the both of them, "is that she can't remember I was here." The 'she' was directed at Thea.
He rushed at Rashel, ripping her left arm out of her sling as he forced both arms behind her back. Attempting not to pass out from the pain, Rashel feebly attempted to reach the stake in her waistband. It was just out of reach.
Ivan jerked her alongside him as he approached Thea. Thea looked into his eyes, and Rashel had no time to tell her otherwise before Ivan began compulsion.
"You will not remember I was here. You will remember Rashel running from the room, hitting you before she fled. You blacked out, and, when you woke up, she was completely gone."
Thea crumpled to the ground as Ivan sent a wave of dark energy toward her.
Rashel gritted her teeth and kicked Ivan as hard as she could, aiming to knock him off his feet.
He shoved her against a wall, twisting her left arm. "I don't think so, love. Now sleep." His maniacal cackles were the last sounds to enter Rashel's ears, before everything faded to black.
Quinn rushed up the staircase leading to where he hoped Thea and Rashel were. He'd heard a crash and the sounds of a struggle, and had rushed from room to room.
He shoved this door open, staring at the mess of a room in front of him. Thea lay on the ground against one wall, unconscious. A small pile of fur littered the middle of the room, reeking of werewolf. Quinn could sense the dark energy left over from another vampire. And not just any vampire. He recognized the careless work of this particular one.
Ivan, he thought.
